Who are the eligible candidates for a nose job?

More or less we all dislike something about our nose. In those terms, we can say everyone is an eligible candidate for rhinoplasty. If you have an aquiline nose, you see a side of your nose is crooked, if you have large nostrils or wide nasal dorsum or if you don’t have any shape irregularity but just functional problems, you can have a nose job at the same time.

There are various criteria for determining the candidate qualified for rhinoplasty.

Age: The best approach is to wait until age of 18 when anatomic development of the nose is substantially complete and when the patient is at his best in spiritual and emotional terms. There is no upper age limit. In case of major deformities, boys can have nose job earliest at age of 15-16 and girls earliest at 17-18. If the health condition of the patient allows, rhinoplasty can be performed on elderly patients.

Health: Rhinoplasty can be performed on people who do not have any diseases that will prevent epithelization and anyone whose present illness can (diabetes, hypertension, cardiac disease etc.) be kept under control. People with chronic diseases that are not regulated, people with active infection, and people with a disease being monitored may undergo surgery upon resolution of these processes. Surgery may be performed on patients with bleeding disorders after hematologists take necessary precautions.

Expectation: Rhinoplasty surgery may change your physical appearance and help you gain self-confidence however you may not have the ideal look you desire or it may cause other people to treat you differently. Before deciding on having the surgery, you should think about your expectations thoroughly and share your opinions with your doctor. The best candidate for rhinoplasty is the person, who is looking to improve their appearance not the ones looking for perfection.

If you are physically healthy and psychologically balanced and realistic about your expectations, then you are a good candidate. It may be necessary to have long talks with patients, who have illogical expectations that are impossible to realize, and explain to them the reality of this surgery and consequences. Patients with unrealistic expectations may make themselves and the doctors miserable in the period after surgery, when they do not have the nose that they seek.

Prof. Dr. Selçuk İnanlı was born on 21 April 1966 in Fatsa. He completed his primary and secondary education in Istanbul. He entered Istanbul University, Faculty of Medicine in 1983 and graduated in 1989...